There's Time
by AidenSky
Summary: Me3 fix it fic. Fem/Shep Liara. After the destruction of the Reapers, Shepard and Liara come to terms with what's important, and what happened in Shepard's final moments. Fluff


**A/N: To those reading Imperfections, I'm really sorry about not updating. Once they kissed, I didn't have a desire to continue. Also, playing ME3 rekindled my absolute love for Liara. This is my ME3 fix it fic. Please enjoy.**

There's Time

"You must choose," the Catalyst finished, standing to the side.

Shepard looked up at the three choices in front of her. It was hard to focus. She'd never felt such pain before. Not in her stomach- she barely felt the blood from that wound anymore—but in her head. It was worse than the ciphers, worse than the migraines she used to get as a teenager. If there wasn't a galaxy to save, she'd be certain that she would end the pain with the pistol, merely for some peace. But there was a galaxy to save, and she took a deep breath as she mulled over the Catalyst's words.

Destroy. Destroy was the first option, and the one that shown to her right in a deep red hue. It was hard to look at. The pain seemed to intensify if she so much as glanced at it. The Catalyst said that all would be destroyed if she chose that option. The Citadel, the mass relays, the Geth, and even herself, for she was part synthetic thanks to her reconstruction. But the Reapers would die. They would be no more and organics would have the choice to make their own future.

Control was to the left, cast in a soft blue. Shepard stared at that one for a long time, for it eased the pain in her head a bit. She'd never have thought the Illusive Man was right about anything, but here it was. Control the Reapers. She would die in this process too, but was unsure of what exactly would happen if she took control. Also, she didn't like siding with anything the Illusive Man would have even considered.

Synthesis was in front of her in a warm green. It seemed to call to her like a moth to the flame, beckoning her to step inside and disintegrate without any second thoughts. All three options would end in her death. Somewhere in the back of her mind, past all of the hope and optimism and strength, she had considered this. She was Commander Shepard: savior of the galaxy three times over. She was tired of fighting. And her time had come to an end. But mixing machine and organic so quickly didn't seem right as well.

In fact, the more she thought of it, the only clear option was destroy. Yes. Destroy. That was what she had set out to do back when she first became a Spectre. It was what she had done to the Collector Base. The past three years of her life had been dedicated to destruction and it had brought her closer to the Reapers than any other organic in lifetimes past. There was no reason to change it now, simply because the child that had been haunting her told her so.

Her head began to pound again, sending shocks of pain down her spine with each throb. She would not falter. Her body was weak, but it would last until the job was done. She felt the pistol in her hand. It felt so right to be there, her finger trembling against the trigger. When she was close enough to the tubing that in came back into focus, she raised her hand and started firing. The gunshot was muffled by the agony of her head but every bullet seemed to ease the pain more and more. Slowly, she regained her strength, standing taller, pushing forward, continuously firing into the damn machine.

It exploded quickly. Shepard felt the heat instantly, and was thrown back into the growing debris. Her mind flashed to Liara and the last thought she had before everything went dark was if her lover had survived on Earth. They had melded several times but Shepard didn't know if Liara ever really took her DNA. She could only hope that Liara had, and that Shepard could still give her the little blue children she promised, along with a safe galaxy for them to grow up in.

0-0-0-0-0

The first thing Shepard noticed when she woke up was that there was no pain. If that was the case, she must have surely died, and was now in the afterlife. The air was warm, but not uncomfortable. She could feel something soft beneath her, and itchy material on her thighs. Other senses kicked in and she smelled sterility. Like a hospital…or a morgue. It was peacefully quiet, save for a few beeps here and there and maybe the soft clicking of someone typing on a data pad. Did they have data pads in heaven?

The sound of a door opening caught her attention, but she kept her eyes shut, still unsure of what was going on. Heels clicked into the room and the click of typing ceased. Someone stood, softer, quieter boots hitting the floor. There was a lingering silence before one of them spoke. The voice was hushed, nervous, and Australian.

"Has she woken up yet?"

"No."

Liara.

Shepard tried to open her eyes, but found that she could not. She tried to maneuver her fingers instead and found that they were extremely heavy. Perhaps she just needed to wake up a bit more. In the meantime, Shepard continued to breathe and listen to the conversation going on in front of her.

"It was a miracle she survived that beam…or superior biotics," Miranda said, a slight rise in her voice at the end.

Liara sighed and Shepard imagined her blushing a bit at the compliment. Liara put up the best barriers Shepard had seen to date. Was that how she survived the Reaper laser when everyone else seemed to perish around her?

"I could have done more," Liara said finally, and Shepard felt the bed shift a little as the asari sat down on it by her feet. Liara placed a hand on Shepard's thigh and the Commander was pleasantly surprised that her body reacted appropriately, with goosebumps and a skipping heartbeat. "I should have—

"Dr. T'Soni, you've done more for Shepard than anyone else. Give yourself a little credit."

"Says the woman who's rebuilt her twice now."

"Mmm. I'm just here to remove the last IV. The skin grafts are coming along nicely. Hopefully there'll be no pain once the sedative fully wears off. I also took the time to run a few tests on the synthetics already implanted…

Synthetics? They were still functional? Was she really alive? Was EDI, or the Geth? Her pinky was starting to twitch as consciousness slowly seeped into her. Very slowly. She could feel a pair of hands on her arm, and there was a short sting as she assumed the IV was being removed.

"…and made some upgrades. Sorry to say that she still won't live as long as you, but she has a good chance of doubling her lifespan. Provided she stays away from the battlefield from now on."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Liara said calmly.

"If she's not up within the next few hours, give me a call. If she does wake up…keep me posted."

"I will. Thank you again, Ms. Lawson…Miranda."

"It was my pleasure, Liara."

There was the sound of the door opening and closing and silence filled the room again. Shepard could hear her lover's even breathing and feel her eyes upon her. A sniffle indicated that Liara was crying and Shepard wanted nothing more than to leap out of bed and hold her tightly in her arms. However, that couldn't happen just yet. In fact, by the time Shepard finally opened her eyes, Liara had moved from the bed to the table and was back to typing on the data pad.

Bright green eyes opened to the world, to Earth. Shepard blinked slowly, taking it all in. It was hard to believe this was all real. She'd been ready for death, accepted it. Being alive now seemed so…strange, so privileged.

Her eyes moved slowly over to the asari sitting by the window. Liara's deep blue eyes were catching in the light of the window, a thousand suns blazing in them as she read through her data pad. Shepard could see the faintest red tint in her eyes, and the shimmering rivers of dried tears down her cheeks. But she looked…good. She looked alive, and healthy and just as beautiful as ever.

"Liara?" Shepard called quietly, surprised at how weak and hoarse her voice was.

Liara's eyes shot up, the data pad falling to the table as she rose and ran over to the Commander's side. "Shepard," she whispered, as if in disbelief, reaching out to stroke the side of her lover's face. They simply looked at each other for a few minutes, both more than content to bask in the moment of each other's presence, before Liara leaned down and kissed the Commander.

Shepard kissed her back as best as she could, knowing it was sloppy. She didn't seem to have all of the feeling back in her lips yet, but she could still feel Liara, and that was more than enough. When Liara pulled away, there were tears in her eyes again. Weakly, Shepard lifted her hand and stroked the asari's cheek, catching the new tears and drying the old as she went, watching Liara's eyes close at her touch.

"You've been doing a lot of crying lately," Shepard whispered, watching as Liara smiled, blushing.

"Well, I suppose I've had good reason to. You've been in a medically induced coma for two months."

"Two months?"

Shepard's eyes widened as Liara nodded. Two months of her life…gone. Just more time to add onto the two years she'd already lost. Shepard was so lost in thought that she hardly noticed Liara grabbing a cup of water. It wasn't until she felt Liara's hand on the back of her head, supporting her, that she realized how thirsty she was. Three finished cups later, Shepard scooted over and allowed Liara to lie next to her. Liara placed her hand on Shepard's chest, lowering the medical gown and tracing over her chest with her fingertips. She often did this when she spent the night in Shepard's cabin, after they had made love. It always relaxed the Commander and this time was no different as Shepard sighed and melted into the touch.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Liara began slowly. "And I'll answer any and all of them…in however short or long of a time you need."

"Oh yeah? Not busy with Shadow Broker data feeds and intel?" Shepard asked? She meant for it to be a joke, but her heart did sting a bit at the truth behind the words.

"No," Liara answered quickly, looking up to meet Shepard's eyes. "You are far more important to me than intel. I…I'm sorry for not acting on it sooner. Before the war I was so busy with resources and advantages—

"Liara, don't apologize. We needed your assets and intel."

"But you needed me. And I wasn't there." Liara sat up and kissed Shepard again. It was gentle, but Shepard could feel the tenacity behind it nonetheless. "I promise to remedy that. Now, where would you like to begin?"

"I love you," Shepard said instantly, running her fingertips across Liara's fringe and watching the shy smile that graced her lips.

"I love you, too."

"Good, now that that's taken care of, I'd like the basics."

"Well, we won the war. The Reapers are gone."

"Gone? Gone as in completely obliterated?"

"Completely obliterated."

"How?"

Liara smiled and left Shepard's side, walking over to the window and glancing down at the streets below. Shepard couldn't see them from her angle but she could see neighboring buildings. They looked to be in good shape. Perhaps they were in an area that hadn't been too destroyed by the Reapers.

"When Admiral Hackett gave the final word, that he was moving the Crucible, that was when we were heading towards that beam. But…we got hit by the laser, and never made it to the Citadel to open the arms. However, it turned out that we didn't need to. Once the Crucible got close enough to the Citadel, the arms opened by themselves. The Crucible was connected, and there was a giant flash of light. It surrounded the world but only seemed to affect the Reapers. They all but disintegrated."

Liara turned back to Shepard, still smiling, only for it to falter once she saw the Commander's face. Shepard was looking down at her hands, feeling a lingering ache in her head that felt all too light now. Liara wasn't making any sense. Was this a dream, or some sort of hallucination? She'd made it to the Citadel. She opened the arms. She destroyed the Reapers.

"Shepard? What's the matter?" Liara asked, sitting back down next to her lover.

Shepard looked up at her and licked her lips. There was no way that she would lie to her bond mate. But that didn't make what she was about to say any easier.

"I…I made it to the Citadel. Anderson and I both did. We killed The Illusive Man and I…I saw the Catalyst. And I destroyed the Reapers."

Shepard finished her story, then looked into Liara's eyes. They held confusion, but not disbelief or judgment. Liara's eyes were never judging when they were looking at her. Shepard found small comfort in that fact. They were quiet for a few minutes as Liara mulled over Shepard's words. After a while she placed her hand on top of Shepard's and laced their fingers together.

"I was behind you when we were racing towards the beam. When Harbinger's laser came at you, you…you just stopped, like you were going to embrace it. I reacted with a barrier. It wasn't strong enough against a Reaper attack, but it took the majority of the blow. You were blown back into some debris. It took a few hours for us to find you. I don't think we would have if you hadn't started screaming. You were severely burned. I picked you up and raced us both to safety."

"So, I never made it to the Citadel?"

"Not that I know of. Perhaps Anderson has some thoughts—

"Anderson's alive?" Shepard shot up in bed, throwing her covers to the side and wincing as her ill-used muscles ached.

In an instant Liara was standing in front of her. While Shepard couldn't necessarily complain about the view, she still placed her hands on Liara's hips and attempted to move her to the side while simultaneously using her as support to stand. Liara removed her hands and tried to lay her back down.

"I need to talk to Anderson. There's no time to—

Liara's hands moved to cup Shepard's cheeks, bringing her eyes up to meet hers. Much to Shepard's surprise, the asari was smiling warmly, lovingly. "There's time, Shepard. There's so much time now."

Liara leaned down to kiss her again and Shepard accepted it eagerly, mulling over the words. They were so simple, and yet she couldn't grasp them. She had time. They had time. The galaxy had time. There was no imminent Reaper threat. The war was over. Shepard couldn't remember the last time that she could just…sit back and relax. She took comfort in the small time she and Liara shared before the war, but even then she could only think of the future and how Liara was keeping her alive through all of it.

"There's time," Shepard repeated in a half whisper against her lover's lips.

Liara nodded and gently pushed Shepard back onto the bed, lying on top of her once she was settled, though she kept her full weight resting on her elbows. Shepard watched as Liara's blue eyes slowly scanned every inch of her face, lost in thought.

"What are you doing?" Shepard asked finally, watching as Liara's focus broke, and blue eyes looked into hers again.

"Relearning your face."

"You'll have a lot of time to look at it."

"Yes, Miranda theorizes with all of your upgrades that your lifespan has doubled."

"That's one hundred and fifty more years than you initially signed up for. Can you handle three hundred years of this, Dr. T'Soni?" Shepard's eyes were shining as Liara laughed, kissing her cheek.

"I'll manage somehow. Now, back to your questions."

Shepard sighed, letting her head fall back to rest on the pillow. She felt Liara rest her head on her chest and brought her arms around her to keep her close. "Okay, so assuming I was just hallucinating or something, what happened to the Citadel? The mass relays?"

"They're still intact. Unfortunately, there was quite a mess at the Citadel. A lot of dead bodies. We're fixing it up but it's still a bit haunting to be in. The Keepers were also still alive. Upon studying them, I think we've figured out how the Citadel opened itself."

"Oh?"

"Remember when we spoke to Vigil, and he told us that the Protheans had essentially rewired the Keepers to keep them from opening the relay?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the Protheans—ever the galactic geniuses—also anticipated this occurrence of the Citadel closing when the Crucible neared. A last ditch attempt by the Reapers to stop us. So they installed a specific frequency into the Crucible that we correctly repeated. When the Crucible got close enough to the Citadel, the Keepers picked up on this frequency and opened the Citadel arms. They had been rewired for this task by the Protheans. The instant the Crucible connected, it fired. Other galaxies reported their mass relays glowing bright red before sending out the same burst that killed the Reapers here. But after that, everything appeared normal."

"Damn," Shepard whispered in awe. A huge weight lifted from her shoulders and her heart. All of this time, there was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that she had destroyed the galaxy by destroying the Reapers. The Catalyst had told her the relays would be destroyed. The asari were close to figuring them out, but who knows how much of that research survived on Thessia after the Reaper invasion.

"And…the Geth? EDI? Are they still alive?"

Liara looked up at Shepard, her brow furrowed again in confusion, but nodded. "Yes. Why?"

Shepard shook her head. It was still too bizarre to speak aloud. "What about my crew?"

Liara sat up and looked at the wall for a moment. Shepard took a deep breath. She knew that people had died. It was a given. But it would still be hard to listen to. She reached up and placed her hand on Liara's shoulder, and the asari closed her eyes.

"Well, Grunt and Wrex have survived. Though the both of them have returned to Tuchanka to catch up on breeding. I'm sorry to say that Zaeed did not make it. He fought bravely and killed many before he passed."

Liara took a deep breath and turned to look Shepard in the eyes. "G-Garrus…didn't make it either."

Shepard's heart sank and she closed her eyes, shaking her head. There was no Shepard without Vakarian. Tears lined her eyes as she remembered their trip on the Citadel. She'd let Garrus win their shooting competition. She'd never seen him so happy, so proud of himself. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd died well, died bravely. But….

Liara's forehead rested against her own and they mourned in silence for a bit before she continued. "He survived the war, at least. But his injuries were too severe. He…he managed to stay alive for a Turian ceremony in his honor. He never could pass up a good commendation."

Shepard chuckled softly. That was true. At least his people recognized him for the hero he so clearly was.

"He also told me to tell you that he's always got your back, and he'll be at the bar." Liara turned and placed her hands on Shepard's leg, massaging the muscles absently. Shepard welcomed the sting that slowly began to dissipate. She did this for a while before lifting Shepard's leg and moving it back and forth, working the muscles.

"We've also gotten word that Samara perished on Thessia. They found her surrounded by hundreds of dead Reapers. Thessia plans to honor her and the other Justicars once they've rebuilt. As far as we can tell, none of the Justicars survived. However, news of their bravery has gotten some new recruitment."

Liara lowered Shepard's leg and moved to massage the other one. Shepard reached out and gently stroked the back of Liara's neck with her fingertips. She knew this was a sensitive spot and smiled as Liara sighed at the touch, letting her head loll softly.

"There is one last casualty," she said slowly, meeting Shepard's eyes. "Jack."

Shepard shook her head again as Liara continued. "She died honorably, protecting her students. From what they say, her barrier was strong enough to repel a Reaper laser. But it exhausted her to the point of…well, her body just seemed to give. But not a single one of her students perished. They're building a new biotic school in her name, though they haven't quite figured out what to name it. 'Jack' doesn't really flow well."

Shepard laughed a bit at that. "The Psychotic Biotic School for Badasses?"

Liara shook her head with a smile. "While I think Jack would have approved, it's probably not going to happen. But everyone else has made it, Shepard. And that's all thanks to you."

Shepard rolled her eyes, only to focus them again when she realized Liara had stopped working her leg. Deep blue eyes were pouring into hers with such intensity she wanted to look away. But Shepard found that she couldn't. "Shepard, you've done the impossible, three times over. You've united a galaxy and destroyed a force millions of years old. The least you can do is accept some praise. Stubborn thing."

Shepard grinned widely at that. "You love it. Admit it."

It was Liara's turn to roll her eyes then. "I love everything about you."

"Including my stubbornness?"

"Shepard."

Shepard laughed and sat up, letting her legs hang over the bed. They were still stiff, but Liara's ministrations had helped greatly, and she started to swing them back and forth as she stared out the window. The sun was attempting to shine through a clouded sky. People walked the streets below as if nothing had happened. It was perfect.

"Where are we?"

"South Africa. London was far too destroyed to provide the care you needed. South Africa had suffered the least amount of damage, so you were flown here for your recovery. We're very fortunate that you managed to save the Geth, Shepard. They've had a huge hand in the rebuilding process. We only wish there were more of them to help. Rannoch is growing steadily and a vast number of Geth are on Earth and Thessia helping with the rebuilding. The rachni are also helping. They do well in group projects."

"I'm glad they didn't prove me wrong."

"You put your faith in the right people. Everything we've accomplished is because of you."

"What about the Krogan?"

Liara smiled then, the biggest one Shepard had seen yet and she couldn't help but return it, in awe of the asari's beauty.

"They're repopulating quickly. Tuchanka still has plenty of room but Wrex is already in negotiations with the turians and volus for other worlds. He's keeping the peace. And Eve is serving as an ambassador, also keeping the peace. The salarians still haven't come around, but they will sooner or later if the Krogan keep this up. Though, I can't imagine anyone wants another war."

"If you start saying I brought about full galactic peace I may just blush. You know how hard it is to get me to do that."

Liara's eyebrow rose at that and she leaned in to kiss a sensitive spot on Shepard's neck. Shepard gasped at the contact and Liara bit down lightly on the spot, soothing it with her tongue afterward. When she pulled away, there was a red tint coating Shepard's neck and cheek. "No, I can't say I do know," Liara replied proudly, watching as Shepard faked a scowl.

"That was cheating."

"Mmm."

Shepard gently slid off of the bed then, holding onto Liara's hand as she steadied herself. Once she got her balance she shifted from one foot to the other, eventually letting go of Liara's hand to walk around the room. Her legs were wobbly, but growing stronger with each step. Liara watched her walk for a few moments before speaking again.

"So, there are a lot of things for you to do now that you're awake. I believe you're due for about twenty medals; there are ceremonies, parades, commemorations that you've been invited to. A lot of people want your advice on a lot of things. I think you've even been offered the position of the human councilor. What's your first order of business, Shepard?"

Shepard stopped then and turned to smile at Liara. There was something mischievous in her eyes that Liara couldn't quite point out, and she eyed Shepard suspiciously from the bed as she came over. Once she was in front of Liara, Shepard knelt down on one knee, placing her hands on Liara's thighs. Bright green eyes focused blue ones and Liara fought the lump that was forming in her throat, though she could do nothing to slow her heartbeat. Since meeting Shepard she had done extensive studies on human behavior. And she had a pretty good theory about what was about to happen, but still couldn't seem to quell her excitement.

"My first order of business is to propose to the one I love," Shepard said softly, grabbing Liara's hands and holding them. "I love you, Liara. I've lost three years of my time with you to those damn machines. I've gained a hundred and fifty in return but it will never be enough. But I'd still like to make the most of them. Will you marry me? I don't have a ring yet but I promise—

Shepard was cut off as Liara seemed to fall off of the bed and onto her lips. They fell back onto the floor, Shepard ignoring the knock to her head as she wrapped her arms around her asari, holding her tightly and promising herself that she would never let go. Liara then unwrapped herself from Shepard's arms and the Commander watched sadly as she left her side and went over to the door. However, upon seeing the lock turn red and the evil grin on the asari's face, she could only smile in return as Liara lifted her from the floor and placed her back on the bed, her eyes turning black as she crawled over the Commander.

0-0-0-0-0

"Wow," Shepard breathed as she wiped her brow, collapsing back onto the bed. Liara was smirking smugly to herself as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her dress back on. Though she was disappointed that she'd put her clothes back on, Shepard still couldn't get over her initial shock at what just happened.

"That was so…carnal. I mean, not that it wasn't great before but…I can't even put words to what just happened."

Liara chuckled to herself and kissed Shepard on the forehead. "Well, my father had given me some advice so I thought I'd take it."

"Aethyta gave you sex advice?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all! It's just…surprising. What'd she say?"

"That if it was always civilized, I was doing it wrong. I have to say, she was right."

"I think I'll hug her the next time we meet."

Liara scoffed, though her eyes were shining. "Are you hungry? I can go and get you something."

"I'm starving, but I don't want you to leave. Can't you order room service or something?"

"It's a hospital, Shepard, not a hotel."

"Can't blame me for getting confused after what just happened."

It was Liara's turn to blush and Shepard smiled at her as she stepped off of the bed and attempted to fix Shepard's hair. "I'll be back shortly. I also have to make a few calls. Not those kinds of calls," Liara smiled as she saw Shepard's fearful expression. "Feron has taken over Shadow Broker duties until further notice. A lot of people want to know that you're awake. That's all." Giving her lover one last kiss, Liara left the room.

She hadn't been gone for five minutes when there was a soft knock at the door. It opened before she could speak and Miranda stepped through. They both smiled upon seeing each other and, in a non-idiosyncratic display of emotion, Miranda leaned over and embraced the Commander, who eagerly hugged her back despite her surprise.

"Shepard, it's so good to see you," Miranda said as she pulled away, before placing her hand to Shepard's forehead. "You're quite warm. Are you alright?"

"Fine," Shepard squeaked, color rising to her cheeks. "It's good to see you, Miranda. I'm told you've saved my life twice now?"

"All in a day's work with you," Miranda replied as she glanced at Shepard's chart and checked some of the monitors in the room. "I can't believe you did it. I'll admit that I had my doubts. But I guess that's what I get for doubting the great Commander Shepard. I've never been happier to be proven wrong."

"How's your sister?"

"She's good. She's helping with the rebuilding of some colonies."

They talked for a bit more until the door opened, Liara stepping through with a tray in her hands. She paused only for a moment, then smiled warmly at Miranda, who returned it. "Miranda, I'm glad you've returned. There is something I wanted to discuss with you," Liara said as she set the tray on Shepard's lap.

Shepard dove into it hungrily, though her eyes never left the two women. Liara flashed a warm smile before turning to the brunette. "Just a few moments ago, Shepard proposed."

"Oh, congratulations," Miranda said genuinely, though it was clear she was still unsure of why this concerned her.

Liara nodded, her eyes flashing to Shepard's before she continued. "Shepard has promised little blue children many times and while this is quite a ways away, I don't know when we'll see each other again. And I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in being our first daughter's godmother?"

Shepard swallowed her bite quickly, her eyes shining and her smile growing as she looked to Miranda. She looked surprised, to say the least. Her mouth hung open just a bit, her eyes searching Liara's for any signs of deception, but she could find none. She looked to Shepard, who nodded emphatically. "I couldn't think of a better person," she assured her.

"I…well, this is unexpected," Miranda managed to say after a few more moments. Then she broke into a smile, her eyes lined with tears as she leaned into Liara and wrapped her arms around her. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"It's our pleasure," Liara returned. "Of course, now you have to promise to keep in touch."

"No problem," Miranda replied. They all spoke for a few more minutes before Miranda excused herself to give them more time alone. When she was gone Shepard sighed happily.

"That was a great thing you did," she said as Liara came back over.

"It's the very least I could do. She's returned you to me twice now," Liara answered a bit distantly. Shepard watched as her blue eyes clouded and fell upon her again.

"Shepard, I was wondering if you would…tell me more about your hallucination?" Liara asked quietly in the stillness of the room.

Shepard closed her eyes. She knew it was coming in the back of her mind somewhere. Her brain seemed tired at the thought of it. But they needed to figure this out. So she told her. She told her about the beam, the Illusive Man, Anderson dying, the strange Catalyst that looked like the child that had haunted her, the three choices. She told her everything, and when she finished, she didn't feel much better about it all. Liara listened quietly, taking in every word and processing it slowly. When Shepard finally finished, Liara closed her eyes, tears falling from them.

"Goddess, how could I have been so blind yet again," she said as she stood from the bed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the floor.

"What?" Shepard asked, standing from the bed as well and making her way over to her, pressing her front into the asari's back. Liara allowed her to put her hands around her waist and rest her chin on her shoulder but did nothing to return the affection. It wasn't until Shepard kissed a falling tear that she spoke again.

"It makes perfect sense! All those times you spent around Reapers and Reaper devices. The dreams and hallucinations and the Cerberus base and all of the Reapers' creations. I never even stopped to think…Goddess, I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid," Shepard said quickly, turning Liara around to face her. "Don't say that."

Liara sighed, giving up, and nodded before looking away. "Shepard, I…I think you were indoctrinated."

"_What?"_ Shepard nearly spat, a disgusted feeling entering her gut.

Liara nodded again, stepping away, looking out distantly. Shepard could tell she was going back to her doctor mode, and would soon be speaking many things very quickly. "At least, I think were you close to being indoctrinated. It all makes sense. No one said that you were immune to indoctrination, despite the fact that you're the great Commander Shepard. You've spent so much time around the Reapers and their tech. Surely they must have gotten ahold of you. That's why Harbinger showed so much interest in you. He knew of your abilities. He knew that you were destined to be the savior of the organics. No doubt he would have wanted you under his control."

She began pacing back and forth, rubbing her hands together as she continued to speak. Shepard could only watch in horror at what was being said.

"Yes, the perfect plan for our destruction: turning our hero against us. It would have to be subtle; it would take a long time. He couldn't risk anyone catching on to what was happening to you. That's why you started having those dreams. That's why no one has any record of the child you saw. That's why the part of the Citadel you saw had the same capacitors as the Shadow Broker's ship. Your mind built the scenario from places you knew. And the Illusive Man killed himself by your words just like Saren had done. It explains the pain you felt during your hallucination. He was trying to indoctrinate you. That's why the destruction option hurt so much."

Liara stopped then, looking at Shepard, who still hadn't said a word and looked to be in disbelief. "And you fought it," she said in awe. "You fought indoctrination. You…" she stopped and gave a relieved smile. "You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander."

Shepard furrowed her brow, looking down at her feet, her trembling fingers. "But…what would indoctrinating me have done? I'd been blown to pieces by that laser. Even if he'd gotten control of me, what could I have done?"

Liara paused for a moment, her eyes darkening as she ran through possible scenarios. "Well, it's obvious that the Reapers have full control over their indoctrinations. Perhaps if you'd succumbed he could have controlled your body as well as your mind, keeping you alive."

"To do what?"

"To…to stop the Keepers!" Liara said a bit too loudly, her excitement at the theory showing through.

Shepard looked at her as if she'd just flown around the room and Liara continued, too excited to care. "Yes, he would have brought you to the Citadel to override the Keepers' commands. Of course, this is all just a theory. But think of it! If you'd gotten to the Citadel and kept the arms shut, the Crucible would have been useless. They would have obliterated us. Goddess…."

Liara placed a hand to her head like she'd done so many times when she became overwhelmed. Shepard stepped forward and embraced her gently. "We don't know if that's what would have happened."

"You're right," Liara said finally, seemingly calming down. "But it's a possibility."

"Well, if that was the case, then good thing I'm so remarkably strong-willed, as you say."

"I say it because it's the truth."

Shepard smiled, pressing her forehead to Liara's once again, placing one hand on the small of her back and lacing their fingers together with her other hand. Slowly they began to move back and forth, as if dancing to no music. Liara closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment with Shepard, who was more than content to simply stare at the beauty in front of her.

"You know, when I was destroying the Citadel in my hallucination, the only thing I could think of was you."

"Oh, really?"

"Mhmm. And I thought of how mad at me you'd be if I died."

"Ever the flatterer."

"Better get used to it. I've got another three hundred years to keep blushing."

"I look forward to it."


End file.
